The Condé Nast Building New York, New York Project Type: Commercial/Industrial Case No: C035015 Year: 2005 SUMMARY Developed by the Durst Organization, a family-run company that owns, builds, and manages premium office buildings, the 48-floor Condé Nast Building at Four Times Square in New York City is one of the first environmentally responsible skyscrapers to be constructed in the United States. Its attributes include the use of low volatile organic compound (VOC) finishes, a construction waste–recycling program, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, and an emphasis on maintaining high indoor air quality. The use of fuel cells and photovoltaics, however, is the most innovative aspect of the project; it was the first time fuel cells were put on a building and approved in New York City and the first time photovoltaics were integrated into the facade of a skyscraper there. FEATURES Green Building Sustainable Development High-Rise Building The Condé Nast Building New York, New York Project Type: Commercial/Industrial Subcategory: Office Building Volume 35 Number 15 July–September 2005 Case Number: C035015 PROJECT TYPE Developed by the Durst Organization, a family-run company that owns, builds, and manages premium office buildings, the 48-floor Condé Nast Building at Four Times Square in New York City is one of the first environmentally responsible skyscrapers to be constructed in the United States. Its attributes include the use of low volatile organic compound (VOC) finishes, a construction waste–recycling program, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, and an emphasis on maintaining high indoor air quality. The use of fuel cells and photovoltaics, however, is the most innovative aspect of the project; it was the first time fuel cells were put on a building and approved in New York City and the first time photovoltaics were integrated into the facade of a skyscraper there. LOCATION Central City SITE SIZE 1.2 acres/0.5 hectare LAND USES Office Building, Community Retail Center KEYWORDS/SPECIAL FEATURES Green Building Sustainable Development High-Rise Building OWNER/DEVELOPER The Durst Organization 1155 Avenue of the Americas, Ninth Floor New York, New York 10038 212-789-1155 Fax: 212-789-1199 www.durst.org ARCHITECT Fox & Fowle 22 West 19th Street, 11th Floor New York, New York 10011 212-627-1700 Fax: 212-463-8716 www.foxfowle.com CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Tishman Construction Company 666 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10103 212-399-3600 Fax: 212-489-9694 www.tishmanconstruction.com MECHANICAL ENGINEER Cosentini Associates Two Penn Plaza New York, New York 10121 212-615-3600 Fax: 212-615-3700 www.cosentini.com STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Cantor Seinuk Group 228 East 45th Street, Third Floor New York, New York 10017 212-687-9888 Fax: 646-487-5501 www.cantorseinuk.com GENERAL DESCRIPTION The Condé Nast Building at Four Times Square in New York City is one of the first environmentally responsible skyscrapers to be constructed in the United States. With this building, the development team, led by the Durst Organization, sought to make a commitment to environmentally responsible design and construction. The strong focus on air quality and the use of fuel cells and photovoltaics are the most innovative aspects of the project; it was the first time fuel cells were put inside a building and approved in New York City and the first time photovoltaics were integrated into the facade of a skyscraper there. The edifice was constructed by the Durst Organization, a family-run company that owns, builds, and manages premium office buildings. Three generations of the Durst family have focused their energy on Manhattan real estate, mainly in midtown. THE SITE Located in the heart of midtown Manhattan in Times Square, the site is surrounded by dense urban development that includes office buildings, hotels, theaters, and stores. The original site had no natural features remaining and was completely covered with buildings constructed during the late 19th to mid–20th centuries. The project sits amid one of the largest collections of mass transit facilities in the world, including New York’s Grand Central terminal, the Port Authority bus terminal, and connections to the Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit, and innumerable subway and bus lines. The building provides no parking space. THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS For decades, the Durst Organization had been acquiring property on the block where the Condé Nast Building now stands. The state of New York’s Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) had obtained through condemnation four sites at 42nd Street and Times Square that had been slated for development in the 1980s. Architect Philip Johnson had designed four monolithic structures for Prudential/Park Tower Realty that engendered considerable public resistance. The timing of that development could not have been worse, as the real estate recession was in full swing. In part because of the public outcry but mostly because of economic realities, the projects were delayed and then canceled. During the mid-1990s, the Durst Organization acquired the ground lease from Prudential, which had leased it from the ESDC, and added three other properties to the site by deeding them to the ESDC and amending the Prudential ground lease to include the additional properties. Before Durst’s proposal, all the state environmental quality review approvals had been granted for the site. At the public hearing, the community’s reaction to the new building was favorable for the following reasons: 1) the structure’s design embraced the character of Times Square; 2) it signaled the end of the real estate recession; and 3) the owner had publicly stated very aggressive environmental goals. The project was exempt from zoning because it was owned by New York State. PLANNING The Condé Nast Building was the first structure developed by the third generation of the Durst family, Douglas and Jody Durst. Environmental responsibility in the Dursts’ profession was an instinctive outgrowth of their personal interests and concerns. In addition, Durst properties had for years been taking advantage of utility demand-side reduction programs to increase the efficiency of their existing properties, and they were fully aware of the financial advantages of efficiency. They were also aware of the impact they could have on their industry by making the first building to emerge out of the real estate recession in New York City an environmentally responsible one. The Dursts hired architects Fox & Fowle, engineers Cosentini Associates, and construction managers Tishman Construction Corporation based on their ability to design and build a high-rise office building in New York City. In their effort to design the first environmentally responsible skyscraper in the United States, the Dursts, Fox & Fowle, and Tishman hired or designated people in their firms to focus on environmental issues and support the project team as needed. This “green team” was responsible for providing support for implementation of the environmental aspects of the process (researching environmental materials and technologies, educating the contractors to ensure construction and demolition [C&D] recycling, reviewing submittals for impact on indoor air quality and recycled content). The building was designed in 1995–1996, when the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program was in its earliest stages. At the time, smoking was banned in any LEED-rated building, but tenants insisted on their right to allow smoking in private offices. Because LEED was unwilling to budge on the requirement, the project team decided not to use the LEED standards for guidance. The green building objectives were to explore and integrate any environmentally responsible technologies and techniques that made sense for the project. The team was particularly interested in alternative energy-generating schemes because the ESDC required 60-foot (18-meter) electric signage on all facades facing Times Square and 42nd Street and seriously considered solar, wind, and fuel cells. Photovoltaics were integrated into the facade, and ultimately two fuel cells were installed. The building was designed with a strong focus on indoor air quality. A significant amount of time was spent considering how to design the cleanest HVAC system possible in terms of both environmental impact of the systems chosen and indoor air quality. Water-efficient fixtures were used as required by the New York City code. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) gave financial support through Steven Winter Associates to model and analyze the curtain wall and illustrate the savings that could be achieved by several energy-efficiency measures for tenant fitout. The Department of Defense provided $200,000 each to help decrease the cost of the two fuel cells for the building. The Rocky Mountain Institute provided support under a grant from the Energy Foundation for strategies related to a performance-based fee experiment in which the design team is financially rewarded for energy-saving design. DESIGN The Condé Nast Building is designed with two distinct orientations. Reflecting the dynamic environment of Times Square, the west and north sides of the structure are clad primarily in metal and glass, while along 42nd Street and the east facade, textured and scaled masonry are more appropriate to the midtown corporate context and the refined style of Bryant Park. The addition of the contiguous property allowed for a 30 percent expansion of the original building site and the